The first abyss monster came in fast and low, skimming the ground with its hunched body, tail whipping behind it, jaws already open.
Aris raised one hand and let chaos energy bloom from her palm in a tight concentrated burst. It hit the monster dead center and didn't just stop it, it unmade it, body splitting apart in every direction at once, chunks of dark flesh and black blood painting the trees on either side of the clearing in a wide scattered arc.
She wiped a small speck of it from her cheek with the back of her hand and sighed contentedly.
"Better," she said.
The second came at her from the flank, faster than the first, launching itself at full extension with claws spread wide. She sidestepped it completely, letting it pass through the space she'd occupied a half second ago, and before it touched the ground she was already beneath it, hand pointed upward, chaos energy firing in a single tight column.
